Characterization Sugarcane Bagasse Particulate Reinforced Polylactic Acid Composites Prepared by Compounding and Manual Compression Molding Technique

Abstract

Manufacturing plays a vital role in the development of a country. At present the trend of industrialists is turned to green sustainable manufacturing which focuses on reduce, reuse and recycle concept for preparation of materials, products. On the other side petroleum based products are finite, create environmental problems and deplete in specific time period. So, the mankind on this earth has to definitely rely on renewable energy sources and sustainable inexhaustible materials. In the present investigation a novel “Manual Compression Molding” (MCM) technique is introduced to prepare the composites using Polylactic Acid (PLA) and sugarcane bagasse particulate (SBP). Prior to the manufacturing of composites sugarcane bagasse particulate is synthesized using mechanical mixer and is analyzed for its size, morphology. Initially PLA lamina is prepared at different contents and is mechanically characterized to understand the ability of MCM method. Further the composites prepared by compounding and MCM are tested under mechanical loading and the results are compared with the composites made by MCM alone. As a whole MCM technique is successfully employed for making composites. In case of plain PLA, composition P1, P5 have given highest tensile strength, modulus of 11.41 MPa, 0.54 GPa respectively. However, at R1 reinforcement in PLA tensile strength is enhanced by 11 % when compared with PLA. Similar kind of nature is possessed by PLA-SBP composites at R1 whose flexural strength, modulus is 38.43 MPa, 2.71 GPa respectively under bending load. But compounding (C) results in good mixing of reinforcement with the matrix and further MCM method had given flexural strength, modulus of 37.04 MPa, 3.5 GPa respectively. In analyzing PLA-SBP composites C composition has shown 1.84 kJ/m² Charpy impact strength. Finally the composites are examined under Scanning Electron Microscope to know the bond between reinforcement and matrix.